1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rotary drum plants having rotary drums such as tube mills, with means for introducing liquid media such as water into the rotating drum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the presently known systems for introducing liquid media such as water into rotating drums such as tube mills, kilns and the like, injection chambers defined in part by rotating elements have been utilized. One such injection chamber of the prior art consisted of a U-shaped steel ring attached to, and rotatable with, a driving shaft of the drum adjacent to an end of the drum, with the opening of the U configuration facing radially outwardly. A stationary steel ring of substantially rectangular cross-section was so mounted around the rotatable ring as to form a closure for the opening of the U of the rotatable ring. The two rings in combination thus formed an annular chamber around the driving shaft. Liquid was fed to the chamber through a tube connected to the stationary ring, and from the chamber into the drum through one or more tubes leading from that wall of the rotatable ring which faced the drum end. By means of the chamber, the supply of liquid to the drum was consequently fed from a stationary supply tube to a rotating outlet tube or tubes.
In these known types of injection chambers, it has been extremely difficult to achieve a satisfactory sealing between the rotating and stationary rings of the chamber as the seal has to resist simultaneously both the substantial mechanical wear to which it is subjected, as well as the heavy water pressure. The constructions so far have therefore been complicated and costly to manufacture and mount. I have invented a rotary drum plant and a system for continuously directing a liquid medium through such rotary drum plants in a manner which is less costly, more efficient and avoids substantially all of the problems of those of the prior art heretofore described.